Posted on May 5, 2020May 4, 2020 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Soule Park Golf Course Ojai California

Soule Park Golf Course

Golf Course Review Soule Park Golf Course Ojai California

Reviewed by: kviser, Saugus, CA

I played here today at first light. One threesome ahead of our four; as you know, due to the C19 protocols, everyone is walking. It made for a great pace, at least for the group ahead of our 4. We might have been faster than the four hour round if not for the extra practice swings by one in our group. Hint: Not me! Notwithstanding that nonsense, I found it to be totally zen and watching the sunrise light up the course was icing on the cake.

I have not played here in quite some time; not since 10/2016. Wow! What a difference three and a half years makes! Green grass everywhere! Large aprons and collars around the greens, very much like Rustic Canyon! That’s a good choice for this course as it can be long at times.

Other than the above, I don’t have a lot to add to mdames’ review. The greens remains on the medium-slow side. There were a couple of subtle breaks, but nothing crazy.

The tees ( I played the Avocado tees) were level and had good grass coverage. Some were very firm about an inch and a half down. There was some maintenance ahead of us. A couple of guys were fertilizing tees and the long cut from the tee to the fairways. Nice to see crews working and keeping the course as nice as possible.

Fairways were a joy to hit from. Great coverage everywhere. Soft enough to take a divot, but firm enough to run a ways on a low trajectory shot.

The rough had good coverage as well. It ranged in height from about 2″-3″ to knee deep native areas. Best to stay away from that stuff.

Bunkers had great amounts of fluffy beach sand. A couple had a thin layer of sand over some hard pan, but mostly those were in the fairways.

Greens and approaches were really nice, but on the slow side. We thought they would speed up, but no significant change in speed happened by 10:00 when we finished.

Overall, I think I got a great bargain at $30. I booked on their website and it appears that the tee sheet is pretty full up all week long. I might try to get back there in two weeks on my next Friday off.

Posted on March 20, 2020March 17, 2020 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

ALERT: Aeration
Will be aerating the greens 3/9 & 3/10.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: roarksown1, Playa del Rey
I’ve been wanting to play the two Ojai courses for years now, and finally got the chance to scratch one itch this past weekend by visiting the fantastic Ojai Valley Inn course on Saturday. I got a deal through GolfMoose which was easy to set up and no problem at check-in.

I was paired with another single for our 8am tee time playing from the Blues. I’m happy to report that playing partner just signed up for GK and wrote his first review on this same course just now – great playing with you Sean! Neither of us had played here before but we had both watched some of the great videos the course put together to learn more about the layout and strategies to play each hole. And if you’ve never been here before, they definitely come in handy!

The Golf Course Review

The front nine at OVI is quite varied terrain with lots of blind shots and a real premium on accuracy and correct distances to put yourself in any decent position for your approach shots. The par 3s are tight and super target-oriented, while the longer holes have designated landing areas and some barranca to clear on some of them either at the tee or on approach.

The back nine is a much more traditional layout with some elevations, but it’s much more forgiving than the front nine and gives you a chance to catch your breath ahead of the stunning 16th and 17th holes before a nice closing hole on 18 – if it wasn’t shortened for an event that particular day. But as Sean wrote in his review – the par 3 16th is one of the most dramatic and beautiful tee shots you’ll ever play, and it was an awesome feeling making par there.

My Take

In terms of course conditions in this rustic setting, it was far better than anticipated. The greens were absolutely spectacular. They rolled fast and true and held shots well. Nothing too gimmicky about them at all, which also holds true for the course layout, which was a concern pre-round. No, it’s just a classic design that lets you feel the history as you move through the canyons and across the bridges and check out all the grandeur of the surrounding mountains. It’s really a stunner.

Fairways were in very good shape with only the limited amount of thin areas. The rough was pretty significant but did not wreak too much havoc with shots played out of it. Tee boxes were mostly in good shape with some wear and tear, and I was in around six or seven bunkers but never had any issues getting out of the sand. It was not the white, fluffy stuff, but perfectly playable and suited to this course’s more rustic style.

Staff was incredibly helpful and on top of things. There is a significant distance between where you park and the starter/golf shop, but they will come pick you up when you park and shuttle you back. The range is also pretty easy to navigate and is ample for your needs. They do give you a bag of balls with your greens fee to warm up.

Parting Thoughts

So what else is there to say? I love this place and really can’t wait to get back up here and play another round with more course knowledge and hopefully a not-so-sore back this time around. Ojai Valley Inn is a destination course without a doubt and a true treat to play.

Posted on August 31, 2019August 22, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

ALERT: Aeration
Will be aerating the greens 8/19 & 8/20.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: uscdodger32, Los Angeles
Played 8/6 with Mr. Kich in the afternoon after our morning at Soule Park. Found a great deal online and ended up paying $69 for one of the first twilight times. This was my first time out here, as the higher rack rate and distance made other courses in the area more attractive.

The Review

Greens were in great shape, save for quite a bit of unrepaired ball marks. Considering how small some of these greens are, it was a bit surprising. However, they putted very smooth and true, and definitely ran faster as the afternoon sun dried them out.

Fairways were incredibly lush and provided great lies to hit from all day. Rough was really thick in spots. It made club selection and line off the tee critical.

Tees were lush, level, and well placed. I found a couple to be pointing to a less than ideal line, but that might have just been in my head.

I was in a number of sand traps and found the sand to be consistent “beachy” sand that provided a fair test to play out of.

POP on a hot weekday afternoon was great and well under 4 hours. A group of guys who seemed more interested in the beer cart were more than happy to let us play through on the front nine and we were pretty much by ourselves the rest of the round. Customer Service was excellent, from Dave on the phone and in the pro-shop, to the starter who let us out a little early, the plentiful water jugs on the course were great on a summer afternoon.

Final Thoughts

OVI was in outstanding shape, provided a good test of golf, allowed multiple shots, and definitely required a good amount of course management. I still don’t know if I’d pay the rack rate, especially with Soule just down the road (and Olivas, River Ridge, and Rustic not too far away), but deals aren’t too difficult to come by, especially if you’re able to play during the week or in the afternoon.

Posted on June 4, 2019May 29, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

Reviewed by: GDR23, Thousand Oaks
Played today 5/28/2019 at the Inn. I can see why this used to be a former Senior PGA tour stop. When you drive in the grounds you feel special. Hallowed grounds knowing that Trevino, Palmer, etc hit tee shots here. This is a shot makers course that is both scenic, fun and challenging.

The conditions were just terrific.

The greens were rolling medium paced, pure and held all shots that were high or had spin coming in on them. I rarely find greens where I am not fixing an extra ball mark or two. Green complexes range from a couple small ones to some big complexes with some swales and undulation. Love the greens here. Rated 8.5/10

The fairways and rough are just in fantastic shape. Fairways had perfect green lies and rough was semi-penal but still easy to hit out of. Green-side rough looked to be mowed down. I remember playing here years ago where you did not want to be in the green-side rough. Rating for fairways and rough was close to a 9/10.

Tees were level for the most part, I saw some divot damage on the par 3’s–tee rating 8/10,

Was not in any bunkers but they looked firmer.

Don’t let the shorter front nine fool you–once you get to number 14 you really start playing some golf on 16, 17 and 18.

My only gripe today was they did not have the back tee box open on number 18 which I think is one of the tougher tee shots on the course. I also think its the best shot on the course.

The staff here treated me like gold, awesome place to take the wife for lunch as well.

Can’t recommend this place enough. Great course!

Posted on May 9, 2019May 1, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course

Golf Course Review Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Ojai California

Reviewed by: sbarajasjr, San Diego
Played here yesterday (4/27) for the first time ever with some of my girlfriend’s family on a very cool and overcast day with the first available twilight tee-time (2pm). I had only ever passed by the property, but was lucky enough to get invited to play on this iconic and historic course on a very fair $89 rate. I didn’t stay here but from the looks of it, this place is first-class all the way. The course itself was very interesting in the types of holes it has to offer, the layout and how it is worked into the natural Ojai landscape, as well as the staff and condition.

The Review

Tee-boxes: Nothing wrong with the tee-boxes other than they were a bit chewed up by the time we teed off. Most everyone was playing blues as even from the tips, this course is very short (with serious teeth). Ground was fairly level all day.

Fairways. Good to great condition. Visually pleasing to the eye, offered a fair amount of roll even with some mist all day, and the lies for shots were never bad.

Rough: The stickiest of the icky. Grabbed your club, swallowed up balls, and overall kept everyone humble all day long. Various type of natural long grass made for a difficult day for those not in the fairway today.

Bunkers: Was in more than a few today and conditions were good, not great. This sand is more the brown dirt style than the August pearl white stuff you’d like to have. I wish the bunkers had more sand in them, but most of the bad shots today were all on me.

Greens: Very good condition. Started off slow and finished closer to the medium-fast level. They were running smooth, even as visually they left something to be desired aesthetically. The breaks were wicked at times and these greens for the most part are tiny (especially in the front). Didn’t hold shots well at all but putted true.

Parting Thoughts

Wonderful carts with Shark Experience integrated and good color GPS. Pace today was just under 4.5 hours but felt very slow at times with a single we had to let pass after hole 3 (even as we waited for him between us and the group ahead who refused to let him pass) and other groups on the back 9 that popped out of nowhere. Routing can get a bit confusing but the property is so beautiful, you almost don’t mind.

Carts equipped with coolers, ice, and water. Fruit and ice stations at least 2 that I saw. Cart attendant came around at least 3 times; food was very good. Parts of the course felt completely isolated and the front plays very different than the back. Highly recommended!

Posted on April 3, 2019April 1, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Soule Park Golf Course Ojai California

Soule Park Golf Course

Golf Course Review Soule Park Golf Course Ojai California

ALERT: Aeration
Will be aerating the greens 4/1 with small holes.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: sbarajasjr, San Diego
Played here for my first ever visit on 3/30 on a 10AM tee-time. Seeing Johnny’s review from the week before and knowing I would be in the area to visit my partner, I made a tee-time online and invited my partner’s father to join for what turned out to be an amazing day. The course was just as Johnny described and I thoroughly enjoyed it in almost every way. On top of it being a Chamber of Commerce day with weather, every aspect of the course and property was as expected.

The Review

Tee boxes: Good condition. Never really noticed any issues with the following: level ground, turf firmness, irregular turf conditions between the markers. Markers here aren’t vastly variant in distances as this course is not overly long.

Fairways: Great condition. They were sparkling green and the ground for the most part offered fair to good lies for shots. There were a few areas that were wetter than normal and a couple of scalped turf, but overall I was impressed. A fair amount of roll when the sun really started shinning.

Rough: Pretty penal the further away from the fairway you ended up (of course). There were areas in the holes closest to the mountains in the front 9 where the ball easily disappeared. The entire course has rough of varying lengths that kept one humble.

Sand: I was only in one bunker (fairway) and it was in good shape with nice compact sand. The ones I looked at all had good sand and were raked.

Greens: Good condition. The color and condition wasn’t quite what I expected but the roll seemed true enough on correctly read putts (of which I had one all day I felt proud of). The speed varied but ran in the fast-range all day. There were a fair amount of unfixed divots, but more importantly the greens on 10, 16, and 18 were already sanded, even though the alert said they wouldn’t until 4/1 (guess they wanted to get a quicker start).

Parting Thoughts

ETC: Basic carts with no GPS and not always a marker close for a shot determination. Course could certainly stand to pave a few more miles of cart path to help riders (though I understand a vast amount of people walk here too). Staff was very easygoing and friendly. Rates here seem more than fair. Restaurant was very good and staff here was also friendly. Ample parking lot and facilities had everything you needed without the extra frills. Pace today was only about 4 hours on a peak hour weekend so that should tell you everything you need to know about how things run here! Not a must-play but such a solid track in the shadow of Ojai Valley Inn that more than holds its own.

Posted on January 15, 2019January 7, 2019 by Vic Flores

WINNER Soule Park Golf Course #WorthTheGreenFee 2018 – Ventura County

Soule Park Golf Course Awarded Worth the Green Fee 2018 for Ventura County

Congratulations to Soule Park Golf Course winning Worth the Green Fee 2018 Award for Ventura County.

“Worth the Green Fee,” unlike the Best Playing Conditions Award, is awarded to golf courses open to the public listed on Greenskeeper.org that stand out above the rest with our site users at providing a consistent, quality golf experience at an outstanding price.

Golf is expensive. It doesn’t have to be. All you have to know is where to play to get your best value and that’s something Greenskeeper.org excels. In addition to helping golfers decide where to play their next round of golf based on reviews, ratings, and maintenance alerts, we’ve recently introduced our GK Coupons service to extend golf course deals directly to our golfing community.

How Awards Winners Are Determined

Golf Course reviews and ratings submitted by our 72,000+ Greenskeeper.org community are tabulated over 12 months. Winners are determined for each area.

We divide awards into 11 sections — Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Palm Springs Area, San Diego County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Southern California, Central California, Northern California and Southern Nevada.

Greenskeeper.Org For the Good of the Game Award 2017 by the CGCOA

Soule Park Golf Course

GDR23
Posted: 11/12/18 5:01p
Member Since: Mar 21, 2006
From: Thousand Oaks
Walked the Oak Tees this morning 11/12/2018 teeing off at 10am joined by a very nice couple. Our POP was 4 hrs 50 minutes on a holiday which wasn’t too bad. Weather was perfect around 70-75 degrees with hardly any wind. Fantastic staff here, great prices(paid $25.00) to walk and a very fun layout created by the Olympic Course architect Gil Hanse. Always a very peaceful vibe up here in Ojai with beautiful mountain backdrops.

The Review

The greens were very quick and in great shape. They were supposed to receive maintenance last week but they did not and other than 1/2 of number 1 green on the right side being punched all the greens were fast, smooth and holding irons beautifully. Staff should be commended. Fairways are still nice and full and lush, mostly all green, no problem areas and for this late in the golf season that’s awesome. The tees were mostly all lush, some need leveling, but for the most part great shape. The rough was in decent shape, some lush parts and some semi-lush spots. I was in 2 green-side bunkers and they had super soft beach sand that you really need to thump the ball to get out. All bunkers looked well maintained and raked.

Parting Thought

You can really tell that the new management is really putting a lot of effort into the course. On number 12 just right of the green under the trees they have re-sodded a big area that used to be dirt, looks fantastic. Would highly recommend Soule Park.

Posted on January 15, 2019January 6, 2019 by Vic Flores

WINNER Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course #BestPlayingConditions 2018 – Ventura County

Congratulations to Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course Winner of 2018 Best Playing Conditions for Ventura County.

Congratulations to all the great golf courses out there that won Best Playing Conditions for their Region. Haven’t thought of playing there? Consider this a wake up call and give their golf course a try.

Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course 2018 Winner Best Playing Conditions for Ventura County

Greenskeeper.Org presents the winner for 2018 Best Playing Conditions in Ventura to Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course.

We’ve waited all year for the results, and the results are in. Greenskeeper.org proudly presents it’s Best Playing Conditions Awards for 2018.

Not to be confused with our other award “Worth the Green Fee,” “Best Playing Conditions” is awarded to golf courses open to the public listed on Greenskeeper.org that stand out above the rest with our site users. These golf courses distinguish themselves by providing consistent, exceptional playing conditions.

The job of the superintendent is the life blood of the golf course industry and most important contributing factor to enjoying a golf experience. A golf course is a living, breathing organism whose health is constantly in flux. It takes enormous dedication, resources and expertise by a superintendent and their staff to provide excellent turf conditions.

Greenskeeper.org’s registered trademark and creed, “Know Before You Go”®, centers on communicating these current playing conditions. The rating system used on Greenskeeper.org is in part created by superintendents. Greenskeeper.org views it’s Best Playing Conditions Awards as it’s highest honors.

Want to treat yourself to some choice conditions? Want and experience you can remember? Consider playing at one of these great golf courses in your area.

Click HERE for our previous article: “Best Playing Conditions for 2017.”

Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course

Burcham5
Posted: 01/03/19 9:31p
Member Since: Aug 25, 2018
From: Valencia

Took the hour drive to Ojai.

Today’s conditions definitely made up for yesterday at Knollwood. Today was absolutely perfect. Yesterday we almost died from hypothermia, today high 60’s with no wind. Pace of Play (POP) a little over 4 hours only because we caught the foursome of millennials that started 4 holes ahead of us. On a side note, if you are a beginner the blue tees aren’t for you and there are others on the planet, not just you.

Back to the review, course was fantastic. Staff is top notch, best I’ve had in awhile. Course was in great shape, tee boxes level, fairways lush, sand great and greens were perfect. I would highly recommend this course and I will definitely be back. The Ventura, Santa Barbara area is really underrated as far as golf is concerned. It really is worth a golf trip if you aren’t local. Rustic Canyon, Moorpark CC, Olivas Links, Glenn Annie and Ojai are spectacular courses that won’t break the bank.

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Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Golf Course Hole 17 Tee Ojai, CA

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Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Golf Course Hole 6 Ojai, CA

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